• Champions. PSG 'breaks' the Leipzig fairytale, 3-0 by Marquinhos, Di Maria and Bernat

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By Nicola Iannello 19 August 2020 Bayern Munich enters the Champions League final as a favorite. Against Lyon, prediction respected. At the José Alvalade Stadium in Lisbon, Lyon tamed 3-0 in the second semifinal. Rudi Garcia does not repeat the miracle he succeeded against Juventus and Manchester City. His team, despite a good start, is wrong not to make two clear chances and gives way to distance. The Bavarian battleship flies to its eleventh final, with five triumphs, the last in 2013 in Wembely against Borussia Dortmund.

The coaches confirm the starting eleven of the quarter-finals won respectively against Manchester City and Barcelona. Garcia with 3-5-2: Lopes; Denayer, Marcelo, Marçal; Dubois, Caqueret, Guimarães, Aouar, Cornet; Depay, Ekambi (Dembélé starts off the bench). Flick fields the 4-2-3-1: Neuer; Kimmich, Boateng, Alaba, Davies; Goretzka, Thiago Alcantara; Gnabry, Müller, Perišić; Lewandowski. The Spanish Mateu Lahoz referees.

Bayern occupies the field, but in the 4 'trembles on Depay's counterattack after a lost ball by Thiago, the Lyon striker arrives in front of Neuer who is good at closing the face of the goal and forcing him to throw a little to the side. At 11 'dangerous Bavarians with a touch of Goretzka on which Lopes has to work hard for the touch in the corner. But the French continue to make themselves dangerous. At 13 ', Boateng slipped between Cornet's pass which would have allowed Ekambi to shoot on goal from three meters. At 17 'Ekambi's solo hitting the post. The escaped danger seems to suddenly wake up the Germans who go ahead in the 18 ': Gnabry invents the goal: he starts from the right, focuses and, after avoiding a couple of opponents, unloads a left from the edge at the intersection of the goalposts on which Lopes cannot arrive. At 25 'the goalkeeper of Lyon goes better, who manages to deflect a shot from the German champions' striker. Garcia's men look on their legs. At 33 'Bayern doubled with a brace from Gnabry: Perišić crosses low from left, Lewandowski eats the goal from two steps, the German forward cannot be wrong on Lopes' rebound. At 38 'Lewandowski still misses the goal, arriving a breath behind on a cross from Kimmich.

Lyon return from the locker room with Mendes in place of Guimarães; in Bayern Süle for Boateng. At 51 'Perišić put by Davies face to face with Lopes is hypnotized by the French goalkeeper. At 56 'on a corner Marcelo with the head calls Neuer to the socket. At 58 'Garcia plays the Dembélé card, author of a brace against City, which Depay notes. Not a minute passes and Neuer denies the goal to Ekambi well served by Aouar. At 63 'Flick calls the former Inter player Perišić to insert the former Juventus player Coman. At 67 'double substitution in Lyon: Reine-Adélaïde for Ekambi and Tete for Dubois. It is played at a slower pace than in the first half. At 73 'Garcia inserts Cherki on 17 in place of Marçal. At 75 'Flick gives the catwalk to Gnabry, alternated by former Inter player Coutinho, who at 79' is denied a goal for offside. At 82 'last two changes for Bayern: Tolisso (ex Lyon) for Thiago and Pavard for Goretzka. The game slipped away, but Lewandowski's goal arrived on time before the end: header from a free-kick by Coutinho in the 88th minute: for the Polish striker, 15th goal in this Champions League. In recovery, Tolisso wastes from a few steps.